


Internal Delegation

by amathela



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-03-29
Updated: 2008-03-29
Packaged: 2017-11-16 16:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/541343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amathela/pseuds/amathela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"I'm going to draw a chart for her, with lines and arrows, clearly indicating that she answers to me, and she answers to Toby."</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Internal Delegation

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers up to episode _1:2 - Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc._

"She answers to me, and she answers to Toby."

"Who does?" Donna's just coming into the bullpen when Josh arrives, and she glances up, following close behind him. He pauses when they reach her desk, leaning over her chair, and she slides into it.

"I need you to make up some instructional charts. She answers to me, and she answers to Toby."

"Okay." She's already reaching for a sheet of paper, and Josh slides it away.

"No. It has to be bigger. Really, really big."

She frowns for a second, looks over her shoulder at him. "I could get some butcher paper."

"Good. That's good. Bonnie!" He straightens, steps out into the corridor. "I need you to get me some butcher paper."

"Sure."

He fidgets with his tie, and Donna looks up expectantly.

"Markers! We need markers. Lots of colours."

"In your desk drawer," she says, and her gaze follows him into his office.

"Donna!"

"Second drawer!" she calls back; a minute later, he reappears, markers in hand, and grabs the paper from Bonnie as she returns.

"Okay." He's leaning over her again, and his tie brushes the back of her neck. "This is what we need. We need it to be really, really big. She answers to me, and she answers to Toby."

"Who answers to you and Toby?" She takes the marker he hands to her, pulling the cap off with her teeth.

"Mandy."

"Mandy?" She swivels in he chair, and Josh steps back as it hits his chest. "Your ex-girlfriend Mandy?"

"If you know another Mandy we can hire, I'm all for it."

She shrugs as she turns back around, and he moves closer. "What's her job?"

"Media consultant." She can hear the resignation in his voice, and can't help smiling a little.

"Okay."

"She answers to me, and she answers to Toby."

Donna draws a neat box, sketches in Josh's name.

"We need lines and arrow, clearly indicating that -"

"She answers to you, and she answers to Toby."

"Right." She's just finished Toby's box when Josh leans forward, adding Mandy's in a different colour below. His handwriting is neat, contrasting with her own scrawl, but she frowns; his box is a mess.

"Okay, now we need some arrows. Clearly indicating -"

"I got it."

"It needs to be clear."

"It'll be clear."

She adds a line from his name to Mandy's, and Josh immediately presses closer, going over it for emphasis. When he's done, she shakes her head, glances back.

"We'll need to redo it."

"What? Why?"

"Our boxes are different."

"Donna -"

"This one's a mess. Do you want her to get confused?"

That gives him a moment's pause, and eventually he nods. "No, you're right. That's good. Clear is good."

"I can get some more paper!" She's already yelling as he moves towards his office, grabs his coat.

"Great."

"Where are you going?"

He shrugs on his coat, surveys the chart again. "I need to go offer her the job."

"Josh!"

"What?" He pauses, his coat halfway on.

"What if she doesn't take it? We'll have wasted two perfectly good sheets of paper, not to mention my extremely valuable time."

He smiles at that, but doesn't dispute her claim. "She'll take it. She knows it'll drive me crazy, and she's not going to pass up that opportunity. Plus, I just put her out of a job."

"So this is all your fault." She's already out of her chair, and he shakes his head.

"Just make sure it's done by the time I get back. And make it clear -"

"She answers to you, and she answers to Toby."

"Right." He starts off down the hallway, pauses, turns back. "And -"

"I'll make sure it's clear." She watches him leave, breathes out. "She'd better take the job!"


End file.
